The present invention relates to a lead frame and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly to a lead frame with lead-fixing tape bonded to tip sections of the inner leads to prevent deformation of the leads and used in a resin sealed semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the same.
Semiconductor devices sealed by molding (hereunder referred to as molded semiconductor devices) are usually manufactured in the following manner. A semiconductor chip is die-bonded to an island of a lead frame, and a connection is established between pads on the semiconductor chip and inner leads of the lead frame with bonding wires such as fine aluminum wires. After the assembly has been sealed by transfer molding, the lead frame is trimmed, and the outer leads are formed.
X-ray inspection of molded semiconductor devices formed as mentioned above has revealed sweeping of the bonding wires which has caused or may cause shorts in adjacent bonding wires. This is believed to be a result of deformation of the inner leads or the bonding wires due to vibrations caused during transport or streaming of the resin in the molding process. Such defective modes are resulting with increasing frequency due to the recent tendency toward narrower pitches and longer wires necessary for increased lead counts.